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Title of Work: The Mountains Sing

Author: Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

Genre: Historical Fiction

Length: 16 chapters

Type: Published novel (released March 17, 2020)

Synopsis: With the epic sweep of Min Jin Lee's Pachinko or Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing and the lyrical beauty of Vaddey Ratner's In the Shadow of the Banyan, The Mountains Sing tells an enveloping, multigenerational tale of the Trần family, set against the backdrop of the Việt Nam War. Trần Diệu Lan, who was born in 1920, was forced to flee her family farm with her six children during the Land Reform as the Communist government rose in the North. Years later in Hà Nội, her young granddaughter, Hương, comes of age as her parents and uncles head off down the Hồ Chí Minh Trail to fight in a conflict that tore apart not just her beloved country, but also her family.

Vivid, gripping, and steeped in the language and traditions of Việt Nam, The Mountains Sing brings to life the human costs of this conflict from the point of view of the Vietnamese people themselves, while showing us the true power of kindness and hope.

The Mountains Sing is celebrated Vietnamese poet Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai's first novel in English.

Cover

There's something about the cover that evokes hope, so I feel calm whenever I see it.

Characters

It's not difficult to sympathize with Trần Diệu Lan's experiences during the War. We get to watch her grow up and the author does a wonderful job of portraying her confusion, curiosity, and fear as she lives through these battles. As the story progresses, the reader may find themselves wishing for Trần Diệu Lan's happiness. And we'd like to believe she did by the end of the story even though there is some tragedy. Trần Diệu Lan is that resilient, strong character we aspire to be.

Plot/Pacing

The plot is paced wonderfully and Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai does a fantastic job of setting the backdrop of the story, to understand what the War was like for those who lived in Vietnam. It offers a fresh perspective, but also a harsh reality, that war is a terrible thing. We are grateful for the history and the Vietnamese culture that Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai has introduced us with this book. Although readers may expect to nothing but tragedy, there are also silent moments of victory as we watch Trần Diệu Lan grow into a strong woman, wife, and mother.

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